Christine Milo as Mia
When we began filming our 2022 web series, we quickly realised this movie-length dramatic comedy might be a tad too big to cast the usual way (with the two of us playing all the roles ourselves in various novelty hats and wigs).
We’re thrilled to announce Christine Milo in the lead role of Mia. Christine, a Filipino actress born and raised on the Gold Coast, will soon make her major feature film debut as Roxanne in Here Out West. She also plays the recurring role of Rosalie in the Network Ten TV series Stage Mums, which is currently in pre-production for its next season.
In addition to acting, Christine has written, produced and directed multiple short films with her partners, Marni Little and Kyle McCallion at A Little Shaw Productions, including the multi-award-winning Valentine’s Day and Date Night, which screened at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival 2020.
Christine brings a warmth, nuance and joy to the character of Mia that, in hindsight, we could never have achieved as originally intended (Claire on Alastair’s shoulders beneath an oversized trenchcoat, pretending to be a very tall cowboy).
Bronte Pearce as Indie
When we approached Weta Digital about constructing an entirely computer-generated character for our upcoming web series IT'S A CULT!, we knew it would be a huge challenge.
This animated simulation of an actor needed to be the most convincing facsimile ever created; a living, breathing person who could show a complex inner life with the merest look. A "Bronte Pearce" type, if you will.
Bronte proved the perfect human template for the animators to work from. She played Poppy Jones in season six of A Place To Call Home (Seven Network/Foxtel), was awarded best actor at SIPfest 2020 for Desert Island Secret Santa (Hired Goons), and has just illustrated her first children’s book; a creative range we longed to see in the character of Indie.
It took several years and put us in considerable debt, but the results are so strikingly lifelike that you'd be forgiven for thinking Bronte herself had happily said "yes".
Rhys McCane as Regan
Rhys McCane is a hilarious improviser, a gifted comedy writer, a passionate game designer and an unabashedly kind human being. When he started in the role of Regan, it also became abundantly clear he’s a dab hand at dramatic scenes.
Frankly it’s infuriating. And so we hired no less than seven private investigators, at considerable expense to the production, to dig up some dirt and ensure this bio can reflect the full man, not just the shining ideal.
1. When Rhys brought everyone on set a lovingly packed lunch, our assistant armourer Lucy found a long curly hair in hers. It may well have been one of her own, but lab results were inconclusive.
2. Rhys refuses to work every second Sunday of the month due to his diva-like entitlement and scheduled volunteer shifts at the puppy orphanage.
3. In 1978 communist defector George Markov was waiting for a London bus when the man next to him dropped his umbrella, hitting Markov in the leg. The man apologised and they both went on their way. Markov died four days later. His autopsy revealed a pellet in his leg which contained .2 milligrams of the deadly poison ricin.
Rhys owns an umbrella.
Sam Monaghan as Ethan
By hiring Sam Monaghan as a lead on IT’S A CULT!, we broke the first rule of web series casting: “find shit-to-middling actors you can learn to tolerate in very small doses”.
If you’ve ever met Sam, you’ll know he’s a magnetic presence, attracting loose paperclips and routinely wiping hard drives full of footage. In the role of Ethan, he brings powerful pathos, as well as amazing ad-libs that don’t offend the normally oversensitive writing staff. He’s not just funny and thoughtful on screen - he’s also a favourite among crew members, who speak highly of his personalised mixtapes and devilishly droll liner notes.
Sam is extremely prolific. As co-founder of the award-winning Tchucango Entertainment, and now one third of (the coincidentally also award-winning) Hired Goons, Sam is probably the hardest-working actor-producer in town. He has appeared in more Brisbane-based shorts and series than Bradley Pitt and Glenn Close combined.
In short, he’s talented and pleasant to be around. And contrary to entrenched industry wisdom, we maintain that these are actually very good things.
Will this bold risk pay off? Is the world ready for Sam Monaghan as Ethan? History will decide.
And introducing Professor James Gilmour
Prof. James is a world-renowned cognitive parapsychologist, author, philanthropist and thought leader.
Born in Scotland and raised in Mauritius, his research and meditations have taken him all across the globe. His pioneering 1970s work at the University of Nicaragua has been described as a “game changer” by several prominent breakfast television hosts.
In 2019 he founded the Metaconsciousness and Beyond method, now helping tens of thousands of lost souls connect with their best selves through patented Beyond Science™ techniques.
This is his first appearance in an Australian comedy web series.